"Ladybird"
September 22 1982 ----- November 14 1999
Cat
Ladybird was my very first pet.
I brought her home January 22 1984 in a pillowcase.
That's the only way to "carry her" my assistant
Joan told me.
Joan had found her
under her house pregnant and scared.
Joan brought her into her house
where she had her litter
was spayed and then offered to me.
Joan didn't need a cat.
She advised me that Ladybird was half-wild—
couldn't be put into a cat carrier
and so I talked to her all the way
during a 30-minute drive through the pillowcase.
She spent the first three weeks living under my bed.
She shocked me the day she came out and jumped on my stomach
while I was watching TV and she nestled there.
I wanted her to have a companion
so I brought her a kitten four and a half months later.
It took her years to forgive me for that.
She grew to accept Ming and the rest of her new life.
Having been abused and abandoned early in life
it took time before she could be picked up carried brushed etc.
Three and a half years later
I met my husband and she adopted him as hers.
This was her person; still assuming I was Ming's.
She went on to love my stepdaughter and mother dearly.
She was cautious and picky
but you were honored when she landed in your lap.
Ladybird reigned as my prima donna for sixteen years.
Her X-ray showed a growth that her doctor
thought was lung cancer but the radiologist said not.
She never showed signs until a Tuesday.
Five days later we put her to sleep.
On November 14 1999 I said good-bye to her.
She was seventeen years and two months old.
This has been the hardest good-bye I've ever made.
There is a huge void in my home and heart.
I can't believe she's gone.
Shari
| Ladybird |
| Shari |